A celebration of dumplings with recipes

I might be going out on a limb here but I’d say the Chinese are No. 1 in the world of dumplings.

And let me hastily add, it’s just an opinion lest the Italians hurl some gnocchi or agnolotti at my head. What would life be without ravioli and tortellini, they’d rightly ask.

It is literally a world of dumplings out there. Nearly every culture has dumplings of one sort or other — knishes, samosas, momos (Tibet and Bhutan), shliskes (Hungarian), perogies (Russian, Ukrainian), gyozas, rissoles (Polish, Irish), the North American biscuit dumplings. The list goes on.

But with Chinese dumplings, there’s no end to the marvels. Dim sum carts are filled with them; they’re made of wheat flour, wheat starch or rice flour; they’re steamed, fried, or boiled. A dumpling like har gow is a glorious sight to behold. It’s perfectly pleated into a clamshell shape with a translucent wrapper, an impossible balance of delicate and sturdy. The prawns, suggestive and blushing through the see-through dough. Another great Chinese dumpling, xiao long bao, greets you with a burst of hot soup and maybe a meatball when you bite into it. How cool is that!

If you’re into dumplings, the second annual Golden Dumpling Cookoff and Derby takes place August 10 from noon to 5 p.m. in conjunction with the Chinatown Festival (August 9 and 10 in Chinatown). Some 20 chefs will compete for the Golden Dumpling Trophy with dumplings from various corners of the world; if you buy a ticket ($30 in advance, $35 at the door), you can sample each of their entries. The chefs will be from some of Vancouver’s finest restaurants, including Vij’s, Maenam, Cibo, Cinara, Campagnolo, La Mezcaleria, Pidgin (reigning 2013 champion), Homer St. Cafe, Wildebeest, Guu, Ask for Luigi, Bestie, Damso, Winner Winner, The Union, Bambudda, and Railtown Cafe.

Judges choose the winner based on presentation, taste and creativity. They’ll also factor in the crowd favourite based on attendee votes.

Last year’s winning restaurant, Pidgin, took the trophy with a duck confit and truffle dumpling. “It was made with pasta dough shaped into an envelope like agnolotti; the filling had duck confit, a little foie gras and truffles and the sauce was a black garlic vinaigrette,” says Makoto Ono, the chef at Pidgin. As you can see, this is not about simple perogies or won tons. Ono says it’s important to have a balance of dough to filling. “You don’t want one or the other to overpower,” he says. He doesn’t serve his winning dish at his restaurant. “It was a one-off thing,” he says.

The dumpling competition will be held on the 100-block Keefer St. which will be blocked off.

Also, there will be a Dumpling Derby, basically a two-minute dumpling eating competition with a men’s and women’s division. Last year, the female winner Hoovered up just over 20 dumplings in two minutes and on the men’s side, the winner demolished 40 of them.

Over 60 people applied this year for the chance to shovel dumplings down their gullets. “If there’s a tie, there’s a 30-second tie-breaking eat-out,” says Tannis Ling, one of the founders. “If you vomit, you’re disqualified,” informs Tannis Ling, one of the founders of the Dumpling Award and Derby.

“They’re ways of bringing the Chinatown community together with the rest of Vancouver,” she says. “It connects communities.”

For tickets and information, see goldendumpling.ca.

RECIPES:

Braised Pork and Fig Agnoli with Taleggio and Sage

Chef Faizal Kassam, of Cibo restaurant says these agnoli (ravioli style dumplings) embody the spirit of rustic Italian home cooking with high-quality seasonal ingredients. “From the Emilia-Romagna region, it’s a comforting, home-style dish,” he says.“This is slow cooking as its best! Much like buttermilk chicken or yogurt marinades, cooking meat in milk makes it tender, juicy and sweet. As the milk bubbles away it begins to curdle (almost like ricotta), and develops a wonderful nutty flavour when combined with the sage, garlic and lemon peel.” Faizal likes to buy his meat from Two Rivers Specialty Meats or Gelderman Farms.

Using a heavy-bottomed ovenproof pot, add the canola and olive oil over high heat. Thoroughly season the pork shoulder with salt and pepper and carefully put it in the pan. Cook until browned on all sides. Remove from the pot and reserve the fat. Add the herbs, garlic and lemon peels to the pot and brown slightly.

Add the shoulder back to the pot and then add the milk. Bring the milk to a simmer and place in the oven, covered with a lid, but with lid slightly ajar.

Cook for 2 hours, rotating every 20 minutes or so, until a knife inserted into the meat comes out easily. Once cooked, let meat rest at room temperature for 30 minutes, then remove the pork from the milk mixture. Blend the milk mixture in a blender and save a small amount to moisten filling.

Once the shoulder is cooled, shred the meat using a knife, and transfer to a bowl. Add the taleggio cheese, mixing in by hand. If the mixture is too dry (i.e. doesn’t form into a ball), add some of the reserved braising liquid to moisten.

Chill the mixture in the refrigerator then transfer into a piping bag (or Ziploc bag).

To make the pasta dough: Using a stand mixer, add all the ingredients and mix on low until a “dough ball” is formed. If needed, add an extra egg yolk to bind further. Mix for 30 minutes. Wrap the dough in cling film. Set aside at room temperature.

To form the agnoli: Using a rolling pin (or better yet, a pasta roller), roll out the dough to the stage where you can achieve maximum thinness without breakage. (If using a pasta machine, roll to the #1 setting). Cut the sheet into 4” x 4” (10 cm x 10 cm) squares.

Pipe the filling into the middle of each square. Using water as your binder, fold the square corner to corner to make a dumpling shape, squeezing out any excess air.Assemble 30 pieces.

Cooking the agnoli: Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the agnolis and cook for 3 minutes. Reserve a small amount of the pasta water for the butter sauce.

To make the butter sauce: Using a saucepan over medium heat, bring the butter and 5 tsp (25 mL) of pasta water to a boil. Add seasoning if needed. Add the sage leaves and rehydrated figs to the melted butter. Set aside

To serve: Add the agnolis to the reserved butter sauce and serve immediately. Garnish with freshly shaved parmesan.

Makes 8 servings.

Chicken Liver Cappelletti with Brown Butter and Sage Sauce

Chef J.C. Poirier of Ask For Luigi,is competing for the Golden Dumpling Trophywith this Italian dumpling. Cappelletti means ‘little hats’. They’re traditionally handmade and stuffed with a meat filling and served as a first course. “Typically served in broth, it also pairs exceptionally well simply with butter or a delicious sauce,” he says. Chinese dumpling wrappers can be found at most Asian grocers.

Filling:

3/4 cup (185 mL) extra virgin olive oil, divided

1 lb (454 g) organic chicken livers

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 tbsp (30 mL) brandy or cognac

2 tbsp (30 mL) shallots, finely chopped

2 tbsp (30 mL) Italian parsley, finely chopped

2 tbsp (30 mL) capers, rinsed and drained

Salt and pepper

16 to 20 pre-made Chinese dumpling wrappers

Heat ¼ cup (125 mL) of the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Carefully add the chicken livers to the pan and cook for about 3 minutes per side. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly to prevent it from browning. Add the brandy, shake the pan and cook for 30 seconds to burn off the alcohol. Remove from heat and place chicken livers on a plate to cool down.

When livers are cool, put them on a cutting board and pile the parsley, shallots and capers on top. Add ¼ cup (60 mL) of olive oil. With a large chef knife roughly chop these ingredients together. Drizzle the remaining ¼ cup (60 mL) of olive oil and chop the livers until it’s the consistency of a coarse paste. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate to cool.

Place the filling (about a teaspoon/5 mL) in the centre. Dip your finger into a glass of warm water and wet the edge of the wrapper. Fold the dough over onto the moistened edges until the two points almost meet. Press down along the edges to seal the dough. Put the cappelletti between your thumb and index finger and with your other hand press the two edges together firmly. Pull back the peak slightly. As you make them, set the cappelletti on a clean towel or a cookie sheet. They can be cooked at once or allowed to dry for 30 to 40 minutes (turn them once or twice so they dry evenly). Refrigerate if cooking at a later time, or bag and freeze. If cooking immediately, heat a pot of salted water until boiling. Drop a few cappelletti at a time into the water;cook in about 2 to 3 minutes. When cooked, remove with a slotted spoon, reserving a small amount of cooking water to help create a sauce.

Brown Butter and Sage Sauce:

4 tbsp butter

8 sage leaves

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1/4 cup (60 mL) Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated

While your pasta cooks, melt butter in a 12-in (30 cm) saute pan and continue cooking until it turns golden brown (a beurre noisette). Add sage leaves and remove from heat. Add lemon juice and set aside. Gently place drained cappelletti into saute pan, adding a spoonful of reserved cooking water to loosen, and return to heat. Add the cheese, toss to coat and serve immediately.